Pizzelle

 

 

 

 

Pizzelle. Delicious Italian Cookies. Vanilla, Anise or Chocolate...They are so good.

I just got a pizzelle maker and I think this will be my go to cookie to bring to special occasions now.

 

This is the CucinaPro Pizzelle Maker I bought.

 

And here is the recipe I used that came with the maker:

 

Pizzelles

 

3 large eggs left at room temperature 1 hour

3/4 cup of sugar

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 stick of butter melted and cooled

1/2 tsp anise oil or seed (optional, I did not use)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

 

1.Beat eggs and sugar 2-3 minutes

2. Add cooled melted butter and vanilla

3.Add flour and baking powder and salt mixture til incorporated.

4. Add 1 T of batter to preheated and pam sprayed pizzele maker.

5. take off with fork and shake with powdered sugar when cooled.

6.Keep in tin or other storage to keep crisp.

 

Enjoy with coffee!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Soup Joumou - Vegetarian Style. More Good Luck Food for the New Year!

I believe food, and stories about food, can start a dialogue. Maybe it doesn't lead to world peace but it does lend itself to some kind of world understanding. Telling people who you are, who your relatives were through the foods you make, and discovering  those food stories from those you work with and know... their food, their culture... is infinitely interesting.

I do an activities food unit once a week at the skilled care unit I work on. I was doing primarily baked goods that I enjoy and were seasonal. It was good, it did encourage a dialogue of what everyone baked or currently enjoys, etc. But it was missing something. One of my residents said that her mother and grandmother made a boiled raisin spice cake. The concept intrigued me and the group. I did some research and found that it was a depression era cake with origins going back to the American Civil War. Possibly it's even English in origin. Regardless, we loved trying it the next week.

So, soon after, the New Year was about to come up and I shared my parent's Southern heritage and the Hoppin John tradition and we tried that. Some of the aides I work with told me of their Haitian traditions around the New Year, good luck food specifically, and I learned about Soup Joumou.

It is eaten for good luck on January 1st, Haitian Independence Day, and it is very good.

(This photo has 2 acorn squash in it. Please use at least one butternut squash. It is a lot richer in color and flavor. Sometimes you just use what's in the house, you know! :) )

Here is a vegetarian version of the traditional recipe. If you want to make it more traditionally, substitute 1 lb of meat and 1 lb of soup bones for the 7-8 oz of coconut milk.

Soup Joumou - Vegetarian Style

1 butternut squash and 1 acorn squash (or 1 Caribbean pumpkin) peeled cubed boiled and pureed in Cuisinart or blender)

8 cups of water

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

salt to taste

black pepper

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

2 whole cloves (put in a mesh in soup so you can take out later)

2 T olive oil

1-2 celery stalks, chooped

1 large onion, chopped

2 potatoes peeled and cubed

1 shallot diced

1/4 head of cabbage, chopped

1 turnip diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 leeks, chopped (optional, I did not use this)

1 T of parsley, chopped

1 whole scotch bonnet or other hot pepper (I used jalapeno) not chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 a lb of small pasta (use less if you want more broth)

1/2 a can of coconut milk, 7 oz, I freeze the rest of mine for another recipe

1 T of fresh lime

1. Saute onions and celery and garlic in olive oil in large pot. Add a little water if you are prone to burning garlic. 

2. Add your water, pureed squash, bouillon, spices, and chopped vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes and turnip are tender.

3. Add your pasta. Cook another 10 min.

4.Add coconut milk and lime. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove pepper and cloves

Enjoy! Happy New Year!



Good Luck Food for the New Year

 

 

I am making some southern influenced good luck food today. It's a tradition in our house on New Year's Day.
 

Hoppin John, Steamed Kale and Cornbread Muffins.

 

In case you are not familiar with the tradition, Hoppin John is a black eyed peas and rice dish served in The South. The black eyed peas are symbolic of coins (prosperity), the kale or other greens represent wealth or prosperity as they are the color of US currency and the cornbread is golden in color representing gold, which is also a symbol of wealth or prosperity. All three together should bring good luck and fortune in the New Year.

 

 

 

 

I have tried a few Vegan Hoppin John recipes over the years, and this is the most recent one I have been using. Try it and tell me what you think!

 

Hoppin Johns Vegan Style

 

1 T olive oil

1 medium yellow onion diced

1 medium green pepper diced

1 large stalk of celery diced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

15 oz can diced tomatoes

15 oz can Black Eyed Peas

1 cup jasmine rice and 1 cup water prepared in rice cooker separately

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

ground pepper to taste

dash or two of Tabasco sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Saute onion pepper and celery in olive oil over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.

 

2. Add spices, salt vegetable broth, tomatoes and black eyed peas. Lower temperature and simmer 35 minutes.

3. Make jasmine rice in rice cooker or on stovetop.

4. Combine tomato/black eyed pea/broth mixture with rice.

5. Add cayenne pepper, black pepper and Tabasco sauce.

6. Enjoy with greens and cornbread!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 



Holiday Cookies With Residents

 

Today I did a Holiday Cookie Demo for my residents.

Lots of good smells, stories and tasting going on.

 

 

First, I had to find a foolproof recipe! Mind you, I love baking but cut out sugar cookies and I have a checkered past. Please don't tell my health oriented friends that I have actually resorted to the slice and bake Pillsbury holiday cookies and yes, gasp, we kind of like them. Well, minus the artificial ingredients, that is. We try to forget that part.

 

So. I googled "foolproof" and found www.cookiemadness.net and this great recipe:

 

 

No-Fail Cut Out Sugar Cookies with No-Fail Icing

Author: Cookie Madness

Ingredients

·        3 cups all purpose flour (380 grams/13.5 oz)

·        1 teaspoon baking powder (5 ml)

·        2 sticks butter, unsalted, cool room temperature (230 grams/ 8oz)

·        1 cup granulated sugar (7.5 oz/210 grams)

·        1/2 teaspoon salt (2.5 ml) -- Use up to a teaspoon if you like sweet/salty

·        1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)

·        1/8 teaspoon lemon extract (or almond) (dash)

·        1 large egg

 

Icing:

·        2 sticks unsalted butter (8 oz/230 grams)

·        1 box confectioner’s sugar (1 pound)

·        1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·        Whole milk as needed

Instructions

1.    Thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

2.    Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt and extracts. Scrape sides of bowl and beat in egg, beating only until egg is blended in.

3.    Add the flour mixture gradually (1 cup at a time) and stir until incorporated

4.    Form the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

5.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to approximately 5/8" thick. Cut the cookies into shapes and place the cut cookie shape on a parchment lined cookie.

6.    Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown in color. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

7.    Yield will vary depending on how big you make the cookies

8.    Mix the softened butter and confectioner’s sugar together in a bowl, then add in the vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until it all comes together. Slowly add the milk or half & half and beat, beat, beat until creamy.

Notes

If you are making really large cookies, reduce the baking temperature to 350 and bake for a longer period of time or until edges are lightly browned.

 

*Heather's note: I just add sprinkles. Frosting is a little too labor intensive and has extra sugar I don't need. If it was a special occasion, maybe I would do this though...

 

 

 

 

Rolling out these cookies was a breeze.

 

 

 

And the end result was tasty.

 

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Belated Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Festivus or whatever you celebrate!

Happy New Year in advance!

PS In the time it took to write this blog, I baked a Martha Stewart Apple Spice Cake for Christmas. Smells too good! I feel some more walking and yoga coming up to compensate for this...

 

 

 

 

 

 



Almost Southern Biscuits

 

Almost Southern. I guess that's how you could describe me. And my biscuits. Growing up in Northern Virginia wasn't quite a Southern experience. But having Southern parents from South Alabama (LA as it is referred to...Lower Alabama) gave me a rich childhood full of visits to the south and plenty of grits, okra, field peas, bbq, greens, fried chicken, dove and quail, catfish, hopin johns, boiled peanuts, banana pudding and of course, biscuits.

 

I still love Southern food and culture. And am grateful for trips to Richmond, Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh and the coastal towns of North and South Carolina over the years and the foodie experiences I have had in those places.

 

Here is my modified biscuit recipe. Maybe slightly healthier for you than the traditional biscuit, but still tender and delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost Southern Biscuits (This is Alton Brown’s recipe with the substitution of coconut oil for butter and lard)

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 T of coconut oil microwaved 15 seconds
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled or 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp vinegar added

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a spoon, mix softened coconut oil into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt too much.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)

·        Heather’s note: I use a juice glass to make my circle biscuits. They pop out easily to a baking sheet this way, I think.

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Add some scrambled eggs from the hens in my yard and some turkey sausage, oj and coffee and we have a weekend breakfast with a small Southern influence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone has time to have at least one relaxed breakfast this weekend.

Later gator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Cake Pops and Scones at Empanada Mama in Doylestown

 

 

Cake pops and scones by Carol are available this Saturday, 11/14/15, at Empanada Mama.

 

 

 

 

                                  

  

 

The cake pops are covered in delish chocolate and the scones are pumpkin cranberry, lemon raspberry and coconut cream.

 

 

 

 Yes, Empanada Mama, that popular shop on Donaldson in Doylestown, with those savory empanadas has something for your sweet tooth too.

 

And I am sure you remember Carol, the baker of these awesome desserts! 

 

 



 

You know her from her 30 years as co-owner of La Maison du Cheese on State Street in Doylestown.

 

 

So lucky to find her baked goods in the boro again.

Check them out at Empanada Mama!

 

 

 

 

Spring Update!

 

Carol's croissants are now at Empanada Mama!

Awesome.

 

 

 

 



Butternut Squash Soup

 

Butternut squash. I don't think I liked it as a kid. Sometime in my 20's I wised up and discovered butternut squash soup. So good! Love all the vitamin A, potassium and fiber too.

And tastes so different depending on how it's made. There's the savory version. The sweet. I think I like something right in between. I used to either boil cut up pieces of butternut squash or peel the whole squash, gut and bake before making the soup. Now, I take the lazy way. I roast a whole butternut squash, onion and apple (all cut in half) for an hour in the oven with olive oil salt and pepper. Sometimes a little garlic powder too. And then refrigerate it to make into a soup later.

Peel later. I love the roasted flavor it has this way. Try it!

 

 

 

 

Butternut Squash Soup

 

1 butternut squash cut in half, seeds discarded

1 medium yellow onion cut in half

1 apple cut in 4 sections, core discarded

4 T olive oil or spray oil

salt pepper and garlic powder

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of milk

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut butternut squash, onion and apple and coat with olive oil or cooking spray or a little of both. Spread on to baking sheet or casserole dish.

3. Salt, pepper and add garlic powder to taste.

4. Bake at 400 for 1 hour.

 

 

5. Put in separate dish in refrigerator with plastic wrap for a few hours or overnite. 

6. Peel skins or outer shells of squash, onion and apple. Discard. Put squash, onion and apple into Cuisinart or blender.

 

 

7. Puree in Cuisinart or blender with some of your vegetable stock.

 

 

8. Add other stock, water, milk, spice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Heat on low for 10 minutes.

 

 

Enjoy on a cool day with a salad and some bread.